Ventilating door for the hatchways of refrigerator cars



11 1927. 1 Jan v G. A. Hu| 1.

VENTILTING DOOR FCR THE HTCHWYS OF REFRIGERATOR ms Fiied Dec.

Patented Jan. 11, 1927.

uNlTi-:D STATES d 1,613,83e PATENT ersten.,

GEORGE A. HULL, OF CHICAGO, ILLNOIS, ASSGNOR TO EQUIPMENT SEECIALTIES CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLNOSY, A CRPORATON OF ILLNOIS.

VENTILATNG DOOR FOR THE HATIWAYS OF REFRG-ERATOR CARS.

Application filed December 11, 1924.

In the operation of' railrozul `retrigerator cars it is customary practice in chilly or cold weather to dispense with ice in the ire coinpartmcnt and to raise the hatchivay covers leading to these ice compartments so thatl cold air can permeate around the perishable commodities andso that the breeze resulting from the motion ot the car can blow down through the hatchways into the car. The car is then said to be travelling under ventilation.

These open hatchways are an invitation to tramps to crawl down into the ire conipartinent and pilfer fruits or other commodities packed inthe car. This is'made possible because the bulk head which separates each ice compartn'ient from the main compartment has openings at top and bot-A torn for the circulation of cold air., and thest openings frequently afford aecessiblity to the romm-odities packed in the main compartment.

Theft-proof Ventilating d-oors have heretofore been provided for these hatchways having spaced cross bars or other open-Work construction to pemit of a free circulation of air through the car, but the prior ventilating doors have generally been objectionable for numerous reasons. @ne objection is that when these doors are in open positions they have to oceupy space in the main compartment and hence they are apt to be jam med or injured in the packing of the main compartment. Also, because of the fact that they have to slide into the main com' partment, their movement into openpositioi, is often obstructed by the end oie the dooi striking fruit crates or part of the cargo in the main compartment. These prior doors have been locked in closed position at a -point inside the main compartment,v and5 consequently, if it is desired to insert ice in the ice compartment as a result oi change of temperature in transit, access cannot be had to the point otI locking for opening the door without first removing a considerable part of the cargo in the end of the car. rThese prior doors are also frequently injured in the packing of the ice into the ice compartment.

I have obviated these objections by providing a theft-proof Ventilating door for hatehWays which does not have to occupy space in the main compartment; also,

Serial No. 755,262.

a door which can be locked or sealed from the top of the hatchway, so that the door lock or door seal is always accessible from the exterior of' the car.

` A further object is to provide adequate protection against injury to the door from the packing ot ice into the ice compartment.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Figure l is a fragmentary sectional view taken longitudinally of the car through one of tle hatc-hways;

Figure Q is a plan view of the hatchway illustrating the ventilating door in closed position; l

Figure 8 is a detail sectional View through the central pivot 28 such as on the plane 3 3, ot Fig. 2, and

Figure 4L is a similar View through the outer sliding pivots 29 such as on the plane 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figur-e l illustrates the upper portion of a typical refrigerator car7 the latter comprising the end wall 8, the side walls 9 and the roof ll. The side and end walls are of the usual heat insulating construfstion einbodying several layers of hair felt with one or more air spaces interveningzj, no specific description of these details being necessary as they are points ot construction well known in the art.

The ice compartment l2 is defined at each end of the car between the end wall 8 and an adjacent bull: nead 13. The loading of the ice compartment is effected through tufo hatchivaysl disposed on opposite sides of the central running board l5 which extends along the top of the car. It is through these hatchivays that the cold air is circulated when the ear is travelling under ventilation and which it is desirable to protect` by veniti) way side plates 19, 2l and 22 terminate substantially flush with a false root 24 extending longitudinally of the car below the niain root ll.

In the conventional construction ol refrigerator cars the hatchways are set back from the adjacent eno wall ol the oar so that there is a small space .fr between the end wall S and the adjacent edge ot the hatchway opening. lt is this space that I propose utilizing for containing the door when the latter is moved into its open position. This space is generally of smaller cross dimension than the width ot the hatchwayj anc., acoordingly7 it is desirable that the ventilating door be capable ot folding Ior collapsing to be completely receivable in this space.

lnrthe particular `form chosen tor exemplitication the door is built up of a plurality ol links 26 pivoted together in lazy tong relation. For obtaining' the neoessaryrigidity these links may jn'e'ierably consist of a series ot' long bars ot' anale seition pivoted together with the llat upper and lower surfaces of opposing ilange` iontacting; that is to say, there is a lower series` ot links with their iff'ertical tlanges turned downwardly, and an upper series of links with their Yertical flanges turned upwrardly7 the opposing surfaces ol' the horizontal liangijes ot' both sets ot links pivoting upon each other. The lin (s may be joined along; any nuinbe' ot lines of pivoting, Figure 2 illustrating [ive lines ot nvoting a, b-lf and CMU.

rlhe relatively stationary en d of the door is suitably attached to a` lined channel 27 which is extended across the end wall S at jacent the false root 2-l. The two end links terminatingl at the central line ot pivoting a have pivotal mounting in the channel 2T on a ixed pivot 28. rlhe two end links tern'iinating adjacent the outer ends otl the channel 2l' have pivot pins 29 projecting upwardly and downwardly therefrom through slots 3l out in the top and bottom ilanges ot the channel 27. Small spa/einnsleeves 52 may be mounted on the shanns ot the pns 28 between the horizontal tlaiigcs oi' the links and the inner walls of the channel 27 so lo maintain the links in erect position and prevent binding or play of the links on the pivot 2S. Similar spacing sleeves may be provided on the pin extensions 29 between the horizontal flanges ot' the links 26 and the spaced tlange ot the channel 2T.

rl`he sliding end ot the door has similar attachment to a trout sliding` channel 3a. nrEhe two end links terminating in the central line ot' pivots fr.. have pivotal mounting' on a tired pivot 2S carried by this front channel ill. 'l ie outer ends ot the 't'ront links have slidable pivoted mounting through projecting pins 23) Aigaging in slots 3l in the channel, similarly to that just described ot' the stationary channel 2T. Spacing sleeves 32 are also lpreferably provided on these pivots 28 and 29 for holding the ends ol the links in proper relation in the channel. rlhe ends of the sliding channel 3a are guided in lateral guide channels 36 which extend from the end wall 8 to a point subtantially even with the rear edge of the hatchway and which are suitably secured to the false roof 24. These guide channels 36 are of considerable depth, so that the pivoted ends c ot the links will project within the contines oil these channels in allpositions of the door. Thus, when the door is either completely opened or completely-closed, the ends ot' these links will be braced `by the lower tlangos of the guidechannels 36, so that any weight placed upon the door when in its closed position will not bend the door downwardly or spring the links.

Any suitable ylocking or sealing inea-ns may be associated with the sliding channel 34 for locking or sealing the door in closed position. As exemplary ot'such a fitting, l have shown a short angle bar 38 projecting upwardly from the top of the front channel 3a and adapted to engage with a bracket 3) extending troni the end walls 2l of the hatchway. The angle bar 38 and bracket 39 have cooperating apertures through which a padlock or lead seal may be inserted f tor locking or sealing the door.

lli/here all four sides of the hatchway ll extend down in substantial parallelism to the false roof 24, the guide channels 36 may both extend along the longitudinal edges of the hatchway, as indicated by the lower guide channel 3G in Figure 2. However, a large number of refrigerator cars are now constriuted to embody the new design olf hatchwav opening disclosed and claimed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,220,8301 fsued to lVilliain H. Einerick. This new defgn resides in flaring the inner side walls ot both hatchways downwardly toward cach other so that the portion ot wall.intervening hetweeii the inner edges ol the hatefliways will be of substantially wedge-shajwd section. `When adapting the present ventilating door or grating to a car constructed in accordance with this design.i the inner edge olf the door or grating must be extended substantially to the end ot the inner sloping wall ot thc hatchway. T his is represented in Figure 2 by the location oli the upper channel 236 spaced inwardly from the vertical plane ot the inner hatchway wall 22.

l claim:

l. ln combination, a railroad carcomprising a rootl having a hatchway spaced from the adjacent end wall of the car. a door in position to move across the lower .end of said hatchway, and guide means for said door extending `from said hatchway to a point adjacent said end wall. whereby said door is movably supported to close said llls') llo lil)

hatchway or to lie wholly between said hatchway and the adjacent end wall of the car.

2. In combination, a railroad refrigerator car comprising a rooI" having a hatchway opening into the ice compartment, and a Ventilating door ior said hatchway adapted, when open, to occupy a position between said hatchway and the adjacent end wall oi the car.

23. In combination, a railroad refrigerator car comprising a roof having a hatchway, and a sliding Ventilating door for said hatehway adapted, in its open position, to occupy a space between said hatchway and the adjacent end wall ol the car.

4l. ln combination, a railroad refrigerator car comprising a root having a hatchway opening therethrough, and a collapsing ventilating door tor said hatchway adapted, in its open position, to occupy a space between said hatchway and the adjacent end wall ot the car.

5. In combination, a railroad refrigerator car comprising a rootl having a hatchway opening therethrough, and a Ventilating door for said hatchway constructed of pivoted links adapted to collapse into a space be tween said hatchway and the adjacent end wall oi the car.

(3I In a railroad car comprising a root havingT a hat-chway therein, a Ventilating door for said hatchway comprising a series of lazy tong links folding into a space to one side of said hatchway.

7. In a railroad ear comprising a root having a hatchway, a pair of guide members extending along margins oi said hatchway, and a 1folding ventilating door movable in said guide members.

8. In combination, a railroad refrigerator ear comprising a root having a hatchway, parallel guide channels extending adjacent the edges ot said hatchway at the bottom thereof, and a collapsing Ventilating door slidable in said guide channels.

9. In combination, a railroad car comprising a rootl having a hatchway therein spaced from the adjacent end wall of the car, and

a door inovably supported at the lower end of said hatchway to close said hatchway or to lie wholly betweensaid ha-tchway and the adjacent end wall of the car.

l0. In con'ibination, a railroad car com prising a root having a hatchway therein spaced from the adjacent end wall of the car, a sliding Ventilating door movable in a plane at the lower end oiE Vsaid hatchway, and guide means for said door extending from said hatchway to the adjacent end wall ot the ear, whereby said sliding Ventilating door has movement to close said hatchway or to lie wholly between the edge oit said hatchway and the adjacent end wall of the car.

l1. In combination, a railroad car comprising a root having a hatchway therein spaced from the adjacent end wall of the car, and a. door for said hatchway adapted in one position to close said hatchway and in another position tolie wholly between said hatehway and the adjacent end wall oi? the car. n

12. In combination, a railroad car comprising a root' having a hatchway movable in a plane at the lower end ot said hatchway Yfor closing said hatchway, and co-operating locking devices in said hatchway and on said door tor locking said door in closed position, said locking devices being accessible through the top of said hatchway.

13. In combination, al railroad car comprising a roof having a hatchway spaced from the adjacent end wall of the car, a pair oi `guides supported in said car at the lower end ot said h'atchway and extending substantially to said end wall, a Ventilating door inovably supported in said guides to close said hatcliway or to lie wholly between said hatchway and the adjacent end vall of the car, and co-operating locking devices in the hatcliway and on the edge of said door 'For locking said door in closed position, said locking devices being accessible through the top oi said hatchway.

14. In combination, a railroad car comprising a root having a hatchway therein, and a collapsing door for said hatchway comprising a plurality of articulated links, said linls being of angle bar section with opposing flange surfaces contacting at the points otarticulation ot said links, and pivot pins passing through the contacting anges.

l5. In combination, a railroad car comprising a roof having a hatchway therein, a folding Ventilating door for closing said hatchway at its lower end, said door comprising a plurality ot articulated links, a stationary attaching member secured to said car, said attaching member having a slot therein extending in a plane at right angles to the plane of folding movement of the door, and a projection on one of said links sliding in said slot and serving to attach said door to said attaching member.

16. In combination, a railroad car comprising a root having a hatchway therein, a folding Ventilating door for closing said hatchway, said door comprising a plurality of links pivoted together, a bar defining the free edge ot said door, said b-ar having longitudinal slots therein, and pins on the end links or" said door engaging in said slots.

Y In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 9th day of December, i924.

GEORGE A. HULL.

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